Electricity
by strungoutpowerpuffgirl
Summary: On the night before Aria leaves for Iceland, she shares a kiss with Spencer that will change their friendship forever. But will that change be for better or worse? Very Sparia-centric romance story. Begins before the pilot episode. A-free. Rated M for potential future sexy times.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So I've been reading fan fiction on this site for a while, but I've always been too afraid to post my own work. But after seeing a serious lack of Sparia stories, I decided it was time to share mine with the world. Of course, the main focus of this story will be a romantic relationship between Spencer and Aria, but you'll see the friendship between all four liars, as well. There will be some Naria and Spandrew thrown in for dramatic/angst reasons, but yeah. Tons of sparia loving coming your way. I've decided to not include -A for now, and I don't see that changing anytime soon, but it should still be an entertaining story. Of course, comments and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism are always welcome so let's get on with the show! **

Aria stood in her now empty bedroom, a heavy sigh passing her lips. Her eyes moved towards the wall that used to hold all of her pictures. Most of them were of bands and really old authors, but a good amount of the art on that wall were pictures of Aria with her four best friends: Hanna, Emily, Alison and Spencer. The number of that group had since been downgraded by one, however they still remained an important part of her life. But even she couldn't deny that the disappearance of their fearless leader had caused a strain in the relationship before the surviving four. They'd grown distant, and even when they did spend time together, they were usually short and impatient with each other. This move to Europe couldn't have come at a better time for Aria. But on the other hand, it couldn't have come at a more frustrating time for the friendship between her and Spencer.

Speaking of her friends, they had already gathered in Aria's front lawn, waiting to say their goodbyes. She headed downstairs, telling her parents that she'd be ready to go in a few minutes. She wanted to make this quick and painless. The sooner she got out of Rosewood, the sooner she could leave the horrible memories of her fallen friend behind. There was a bittersweet smile on her face as she approached the other three. Sure, they hadn't been as close to each other as they had been when they were a fivesome, but these girls were the only friends she knew. Of course she was going to miss them.

They stood there on the lawn, awkwardly saying nothing for a few seconds until Emily finally decided to speak up.

"We're going to miss you so much. You're gonna have an amazing time in Iceland." She said with her signature sweet smile.

This encouraged Hanna to finally chip in. "Make sure to meet lots of cute European boys."

If anyone had been paying attention, they would have noticed a brief look of disgust cross Spencer's face at Hanna's comment.

They waited patiently, expecting Spencer to say something in contribution to their farewells. But when she didn't, Aria decided it was her turn.

"Try to have a good school year, okay? Keep in touch, please. I wanna hear from you guys. I wanna know how you're doing." Her eyes moved between each of her friends, trying to sound hopeful. But she knew she wouldn't get one letter after she left. The divide between them had begun long before the first moving box had been packed.

After the majority of the girls had said something, next came the hugs. Like before, Emily was the first to step forward. "Stay sweet." Aria said softly, giving her friends back a little rub.

"It's not going to be the same without you here." Emily almost whispered.

"It hasn't been the same here for a while now." Hanna muttered in response, which caused the other three to spare a glare in her direction. She looked back at them before her head dipped. Finally, she moved towards Aria once Emily moved away, pulling her friend into a hug. "Who's going to help me with my English homework now?"

This question caused Aria to chuckle quietly, "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for, Han." She replied as she pulled away, looking Hanna in the eye, "And…if you ever find yourself stuck, I'm sure Spencer can help you." She added, her vision shifting towards Spencer.

Her eyes had been locked on Aria the entire time, almost as if she were getting a long enough look, not knowing when she'd get to see her beautiful face in person again, if ever. But when she heard Aria say her name, she blinked, looking away as if she hadn't spent the last three minutes staring at her. She nodded her head, "Of course, Hanna. You know you can always come to me for help."

Aria cleared her throat, taking a tentative step towards her tallest friend. "Umm…Bye, Spence." It was funny. She never had a hard time talking to Spencer, but now she could barely come up with two words to say.

Spencer plastered a quick smile onto her face, moving towards Aria, as well. There were so many things she wanted to say; things she probably should have said last night. But in the presence of Hanna and Emily, they didn't seem appropriate. "Y-You're gonna have an awesome time in Iceland. You're gonna forget all about us." She said with hidden honesty, covering it with a small laugh.

Aria gives her a sad smile in return, shaking her head, "Impossible. I could never forget you…" She paused, "You guys." She added, hoping her slip up would go unnoticed.

The two girls looked at each other for what felt like minutes before Aria blinked, letting out another shy laugh. She stepped towards Spencer again, closing up the space between them as her arms went around the taller girl. Nothing was said between them, but their hug definitely lasted longer than the ones she shared with Hanna or Emily. And during that hug, Spencer surreptitiously slid a note in the pocket of Aria's cardigan, praying that the other two hadn't caught her. They pulled away with somber smiles on their faces.

The door opened and Ella stuck her head out, "Aria! Time to go!" She called out. The petite brunette glanced back towards her mom before looking at her friends once more. "That's my cue." She said, quickly waving at them, then turning and heading back towards the house to gather the things she'd be taking with her on the flight.

She had almost gotten inside when she felt something drop out of her pocket. She paused, looking down at a folded piece of paper. When she looked back towards her friends, they had already gone their separate ways to their own houses. Her eyes moved back down towards the paper, hesitating for a second before crouching down, picking it up. Her name was written on it in familiar handwriting – Spencer's handwriting. She gulped, fingers moving to open it before stopping again. With a sigh, she closed it back up, shoving it in the pocket of her jeans. She knew she had to read that letter. She had to read what Spencer had to say, but she couldn't bring herself to do so; not yet, at least. The events of the previous night were still too fresh on her mind. She could still feel the way Spencer's lips felt against her own. The kiss caught her completely off guard, but she couldn't necessarily say it had been unwelcomed. But more than anything, it had left her confused.

_"I need to do this, Aria. If I don't…I might not have another chance."_

She wouldn't admit she enjoyed the kiss (even though she did. A lot.), but it frustrated her a lot, as well, and left her with tons of question. Why couldn't it have happened sooner? Why did Spencer have to wait until less than 24 hours before Aria was about to leave the country? Now she'd have to go to Iceland and wonder what could have been.

"You okay, honey?" Ella asked as she watched her daughter from the door.

Her mother's voice snapped Aria out of her thoughts, looking back up at the older Montgomery as she smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, just…really gonna miss the girls. That's all." _One more than the others, _she thought to herself.

"Of course you are. They're your best friends, and you've been through a lot together. But I think this move's going to be good for all of us."

Aria nodded in agreement, giving a small shrug of her shoulders, "I know. I kinda wish I could bring them with me, y'know? I'm sure they can use the escape from Rosewood, too."

Ella smiles, putting her arm around her daughter's shoulders, "Me too. But unfortunately, we only bought enough airplane tickets for the four of us, and I don't think their parents would appreciate them moving to Europe too much." Aria smiles, and Ella continues talking, "Speaking of airplanes, we have a flight to catch so…grab your bag. We're gonna be late." And with that, Aria was walking back up the stairs one last time to retrieve her purse from her room. Her hand kept moving towards the letter in her pocket, but she still couldn't bring herself to read it. Perhaps she wanted to put a few thousand miles between her and Spencer before she did.

She headed back downstairs where her family was already waiting for her. "This is it, guys." Byron said, giving the foyer one last glance. Aria's eyes followed, unable to believe that she was leaving the only house she'd ever known. As much as she hated Rosewood, and as much as she didn't think she fit in, it had been her home for 16 years.

But it didn't even feel that way anymore. It felt like the place where she lost her identity. She was no longer Aria Montgomery to most people. Instead, she was one of the missing girl's friends. She hoped that living in Iceland meant a fresh start, not just for her, but for her family. Alison's disappearance hadn't only caused tension in Aria's circle of friends. Her own family had felt the effect of what happened, as well. She wasn't exactly sure why, but her parents had fought a lot more than they had gotten along since September first. She hoped that as her family put more distance between themselves and this town, the negativity would leave them. But there were some things – or rather, people – that she didn't want to leave behind.

But she had no choice. And this was the best thing for everyone. So as they got into the family Subaru, and pulled out of their driveway for the last time, Aria's eyes remained glued to the window, watching their street pass by. She gave Hanna, Emily and even Alison's houses a final look. And when they drove past Spencer's sprawling residence, she saw Spencer herself sitting outside with a book in hand. Aria bit her lip, forcing herself not to tell her dad to stop the car right there. Instead, her hand gripped onto the note a little bit tighter. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths before looking over at her brother, Mike, sitting next to her. He was deeply entranced in some game he was playing on his PSP; Aria might as well not even be there. Perfect. She brushed her tongue against her bottom lip before quickly pulling the note out of her pocket. Her heart was racing as she unfolded it, her eyes skimming past the written words.

**Ooh I left it on a cliffhanger! So sorry about that. Next chapter will be from Spencer's point of view, and it will hopefully by posted in a day or two. Thanks for reading**!


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! So since I ended the first chapter on a cliffhanger, I thought I wouldn't leave you guys hanging. I have a lot of inspiration for this story, and hopefully that inspiration will stick around so I can get these chapters out quickly. The beginning of the story might be a little slow, and I apologize for that, but I promise you, it will pick up, and it will be worth the wait. Anyway, let's get ready for a Spencer-based chapter! ^_^**

**Also trueprime, I definitely intended chapter 3 to be from Aria's POV while she's in Iceland, with the aftermath of her reading the letter and her dealing with her new-found feelings for Spencer. But we'll also see her time in Europe, and see her find herself while there, as well. Thank you so much for your input. It's greatly appreciated :) **

It'd been a rather difficult month for Spencer Hastings, not that she'd let it show in any way. In her family, stress and anxiety were just more imperfection. And anyone who knew Spencer or her family knew that imperfection was practically illegal in the house of Hastings. There was plenty of grief to go around with her frenemy Alison DiLaurentis vanishing. But her busy schedule left no time for grief. On the other hand, keeping herself preoccupied wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It left her little time to think about how her life had been turned upside down since the beginning of September. It left her with even less time to think about what she'd done to Aria the night before she left.

The kiss wasn't necessarily the problem; it was the fact that the kiss had been so rushed and ill-planned. It was something she should have done so long ago, considering how long she'd felt these feelings for Aria. Doing things without thought wasn't something Spencer did very often. Another non Spencer-like quality was cowardice, which made Spencer feel even worse for waiting. She waited out of fear; fear of a lot of things. What if her feelings weren't reciprocated? She still wasn't sure of that. She kind of ran after she kissed her friend, not giving Aria the chance to react at all. But her main source of fear came from Mr. and Mrs. Hastings themselves. On their long list of things that were imperfect and meant to be looked down on, homosexuality was included. And, big shock, two girls kissing was considered pretty gay by most people; which brought up another reason why she'd kept her feelings for her best friend to herself for so long. She wanted to ignore them, and hope that they'd go away eventually. But realized when someone feels as strongly as she did for Aria, for as long as she did, those feelings don't just vanish into thin air like Alison did. And with the window of opportunity closing quickly, she decided to make a bold move that she wasn't exactly sure had paid off. And now she might not ever know. And now they both had to sit with what she'd done. That's all they could do with the amount of distance that was between them.

She let out a heavy sigh, standing up from her seat at the desk as she rubbed at her temples. This was why she wasn't allowed to take breaks. Her mind wandered to places that she deemed forbidden. But the worst part was that she didn't want to forget that kiss. As spontaneous as it was, Spencer couldn't deny the electricity she felt when her lips touched Aria's. She'd kissed boys before, but those kisses paled in comparison. And that's all she had now, all because she was too afraid to act on her feelings sooner. As much as she tried to push the events of that night out of her mind, she found them returning in full force. She plopped herself down on her bed, fingers reaching up to graze against her lips as she allowed her memory to recap her last night with Aria.

_The girls had been having a farewell party of sorts for Aria in Spencer's barn. The small side house had bad connotations for the group, considering it was the last place they saw Alison alive. But they were trying to replace the bad memories with good ones, while giving Aria her deserving send off before leaving to Iceland. As far as location choices for their shindig, pickings were slim anyway. And it was probably the only choice that allowed them to drink alcohol without getting caught by parentals. And the alcohol was definitely present between the four girls that night. _

_Emily was singing "I Kissed a Girl" at the top of her lungs with Hanna dancing out of tune. Spencer, on the other hand, was slightly better at holding her liquor…if one considers talking to herself about physics "better liquor holding." Aria found herself outside, sitting on the bench in front of the barn by herself. After a while, Spencer interrupted the conversation she was having with herself when she realized that Aria was missing. So she got up to look for her. She didn't have to look far, and when she saw the petite brunette sitting on the bench, looking up at the sky, she felt her heart flutter a little bit. But she ignored it, and moved towards Aria, taking a seat next to her on the bench._

_"Hey, you're missing the party." She said, in an attempt to start a conversation._

_Aria finally looked down, a soft smile coming to her face at the sight of her friend. She shrugged, "I guess I just needed a little fresh air. I think I was getting a contact buzz from all the booze Hanna and Emily have consumed."_

_Spencer laughed, as well, finally pulling her eyes away from her friend long enough to look up at the stars. There was a quiet moment between the two before Spencer spoke up again. "I don't handle change well." She confessed in a tiny voice. "And…this past month has been saturated with change." She let out a sigh, pushing a strand of hair out of her face as she rested her head against the back of the bench. _

_Aria's eyes found their way towards Spencer once again, a sad smile playing at her lips. "Change isn't always a bad thing." She assured the taller girl. "It's…definitely scary but…that doesn't last forever. Eventually, you grow accustom to it. It becomes the new normal."_

_Spencer shook her head, "Yeah, no…I know but…" she sighed again, "I'm just worried that Alison being gone will never stop having an effect on us. And…you leaving…will be the straw that breaks the camel's back."_

_Aria nodded, eyes moving towards her hands in her lap, "I mean…none of us would even be friends if it weren't for Ali…and things haven't necessarily been smooth for us since your sleepover. But I think right now is when you guys are gonna need each other most. I hope me leaving doesn't make things worse." After a minute, Aria's hand slowly moved towards Spencer's, landing on top of it, which did nothing to help Spencer's rapid heartbeat. She gulped, hoping the quick thudding sound in her chest wasn't apparent._

_"I'm gonna miss you a lot, Aria."_

_"I'm gonna miss you too, Spence."_

_An uneasy laugh left Spencer's lips as she finally looked back over at Aria. "No, you don't understand." She paused, running what she was about to say in her in head to make sure it was a good idea. Then she decided it was now or never. "I know we're all friends, and we're all close because of Ali. Or…we used to be. But I've always felt closer to you more than the others. Like…I can talk to you about things that I can't with Hanna and Emily, even Alison, when she was around. I think that's what I'm going to miss the most: having a close friend that just…understands me. And I'm glad that close friend was you."_

_Aria stared at Spencer for a long moment. The look on her face suggested, to Spencer at least, that Aria was trying to figure out if her words were sincere, or if it was just drunk Spencer getting too emotional. Finally, she smiled shyly, a subtle blush rising to her cheeks. "I…I didn't know you felt that way." She begun, "When Ali went missing and our group was…falling apart, it broke my heart that I couldn't talk to you like I used to. And I'm scared we won't get to do that again."_

_Aria's words made Spencer's heart flutter. If she had been standing up, her knees surely would have buckled. But in good-old Spencer Hastings fashion, she didn't let it show. She shrugged, looking away, "That's what e-mail's for, right? We'll keep in touch. It won't be the same as talking face to face but…I'd rather have talk to you through a computer, than not be able to talk to you at all."_

_That blush on Aria's face only got stronger as she nodded her head, "Me too. We'll write each other all the time." The silence that followed was filled with the hope that both of them would fulfil that statement._

_But also, in that moment, Spencer came across another ultimatum. She literally had seconds to decide if she was going to do something she'd been dreaming about since the two of them became friends. Was she going to cower, and regret not taking the chance for the rest of her life? She knew she couldn't. She'd always been bold, and went for exactly what she wanted. And right now, she wanted to kiss Aria. So she pulled her hand away from Aria's, so her friend wouldn't know how badly they had been shaking, and turned her body to face her friend. With a gulp, she began to speak in a tentative voice."_

_"I need to do this, Aria. If I don't…I might not have another chance."_

_A wave of confusion crossed the smaller brunette's face. "Do what? Spencer, are you-?"_

_She didn't even give Aria the chance to finish her question. Her hand was already on Aria's blushing cheek, their lips colliding in a kiss. _

_Once the initial shock of Spencer's actions pashed over her, Aria's widened eyes closed. And if Spencer was being perfectly honest with herself, she felt Aria kiss her back. She could have used a ton of clichés to describe that moment. Time stood still. It felt like they were the only two people in the world. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. But instead, in her mind, she decided to use one word: Perfect. Rushed…Extremely rushed…but still perfect. _

_She pulled away, ending the moment with a look of embarrassment. She couldn't even bring herself to look at her flustered friend as she let out a laugh, shaking her head. "I'm…I'm sorry." She quickly stood up, already heading back towards the entrance to the barn. "I'm gonna check on Hanna and Emily. Make sure they haven't drank themselves into a coma or anything." She turned away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she let out a shaky breath. She'd done it, she kissed Aria. And then ran like a chicken right after. So…it wasn't a total loss, but it definitely couldn't be considered a victory, either. _

_A while later, the other girls eventually fell asleep. But Spencer was still wide awake, her brain continuing to go over what she did to Aria earlier in the night. After it had happened, she'd made keeping her distance from her friend a priority. She felt awful about that, especially considering it was Aria's last night in Rosewood, but she didn't see any other avenue to take. What was she supposed to say to Aria? "Wow. That was some kiss, huh?" "Don't you just love how I decided to do it right before you leave for Iceland?" So, to Spencer, the best thing for her to do was to ignore it and Aria, as much as it killed her. Finally, she decided that if she couldn't say the things she wanted to say to Aria that night, she'd make sure Aria knew what she had to say somehow. _

_She got up and fetched a pencil and some paper from a nearby desk and began writing a letter._

_Aria,_

_I want to apologize for kissing you tonight, but I'm not really sorry for what I did. I'm sorry that it was so sudden, and I'm sorry for running away after I did it. But I don't regret kissing you. It's something I've wanted to do for a really long time, and I guess I'm sorry for waiting so long. But I haven't been completely honest with you, and I'm deciding to change that now. I've always loved how you and I were closer to each other than we were to the rest of the group. I already told you that. I told you how I always felt more comfortable talking to you than anyone else. But that's not the only reason I liked being closer to you. You've always been yourself, and never gave a damn what other people thought about you. And I envy that in a way. You're beautiful, and you're passionate about things, and when I'm around you, I just feel happy. There were times that Alison really made me regret befriending her. But if I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have met you, and you're the best thing about being Ali's friend. You made all of her torture not so bad. I really love you, and I hate that it took me so long to tell you. But at least it's out there though. I'm going to miss you like crazy, but I hope you have a great time in Iceland. Please don't forget me, because I'll never forget you._

_-S_

_She read the letter silently to herself about 30 times, mentally battling herself as she tried to decide if she was going to give it to Aria or not. But she needed Aria to know these things. She couldn't just kiss her without any sort of explanation at all. If she reacted badly, well, she was leaving for Europe tomorrow. So she folded the letter up, hiding it under her pillow before falling asleep. _

A knock at the door pulled Spencer out of her flashback haze. Sitting up, she ran a hand over her face. "Come in." She called out before her mother opened the door and peeked her head in.

"Dinner's ready. Foie Gras." Veronica informed her daughter, inspecting Spencer's face with her eyes, the expression on her face hinted a small level of concern. "You look exhausted." She stated.

As Spencer stood, she shrugged her shoulders, "Just had a long day." She assured her mom as she passed her to leave the room and head downstairs. She didn't even like Foie Gras, but she was hungry. And maybe some stuffy conversation with her parents and sister would take her mind off the things that had been trying to run through it all day.

As soon as she sat down to the family meal, she regretted it. The dinner conversation was extremely one-sided at first. Melissa ran her mouth, talking about her mundane day and her countless accomplishments. However, it finally seemed as if at least one parent had had enough of hearing her daughter's voice, so she decided to move the subject to something else, much to Melissa's chagrin.

"Wasn't today the day that Aria was leaving for Finland, Spencer?" Veronica asked.

"Iceland. And, yes." Spencer corrected. Out of all the things they could have talked about, she had to choose the one subject she was trying to avoid?

"What a lucky girl, getting the opportunity to live in Europe, especially with everything that's going on here." She shook her head, taking another bite of food. "Are you holding up alright? I know things were hard when Alison went missing. I bet losing another friend has to be difficult, too."

"It's not like Aria vanished out of thin air. She moved to another continent. And…maybe she'll come back some day." She countered, more in an attempt to assure herself.

After a minute of silence, Melissa took the opportunity to move the conversation back to herself again. "I applied for a program in London. I think I have a pretty good chance of getting in." Never in her life had Spencer been so thankful for her sister being so self-absorbed.

The dinner ended and Spencer returned to her room to find that she had an instant message. At first, she had high hopes that had sent the message. But as she got closer to her computer, she had to fight the small bout of disappointment she felt when it was Andrew Campbell who had messaged her. She contemplated even replying, knowing that he probably only wanted to gloat about something, because that's pretty much all of their interactions consisted of.

But who else did she have to talk to? So she responded. The best part about instant messaging was that if she got tired of the conversation, all she had to do was log out.

Andrew C: Hey Spencer. Did you finish the summer reading?

Spencer H: Silly question. Of course I did.

Andrew C: I was wondering if you wanted to go over it together?

Spencer H: Is this a joke?

Andrew C: No…

Spencer had to stop for a second. This was definitely out of the ordinary. Since Kindergarten, she had seen Andrew as merely an opponent, and she was sure he saw her the same way. Why did he all of a sudden want to work with her, instead of against her? And why was she actually considering taking him up on his offer? Oh, that's right. She pretty much didn't have any friends anymore. What had the world come to that she was using Andrew Campbell and the word "friends" in the same thought?

Spencer H: Not sure if I can. Might be busy tomorrow.

Andrew C: That's okay. We can always reschedule.

Spencer H: I might be busy then too.

Andrew C: Spencer, if you don't want to, just say no..

Spencer H: It's not that. I'm just kind of freaked out that you're actually asking me to study with you.

Andrew C: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out. I just know that you've been going through a lot with what happened to Alison. Thought you might want to spend some time with someone who wasn't part of the usual posse.

She was taken aback by his words, and didn't know how to respond at first. When does that ever happen?

Spencer H: I'm not doing that too much anymore anyway. But yeah. It would be nice to have someone to talk to. Let's meet Tuesday. Library?

Andrew C: It's a date.

Andrew C: I mean like a study date.

Andrew C: Or a study session.

Andrew C: …

Andrew C: I'll see you Tuesday.

Spencer shook her head, a wry smile on her face as she closed her laptop and moved towards her bed for the best part of her day: The time where she got to be unconscious for a few hours. She went to be thinking about Iceland and its newest resident, hoping she hadn't already begun having the time of her life.

**Whoa. This chapter got a bit long lol. Sorry about that. But if you read to the end, thank you so much! And thanks for your input and for the favorites and follows. It really inspires me to keep going. Until next time!**

**Chapter 3: Aria's adventures in Iceland.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Welcome to another installment of Electricity. I'm gonna warn ya'll, it's coming to the end of my school semester, which means finals (quadruple groan). I'm going to try to write at least something every day, but new chapters might come a little bit slower until the end of the semester. Then (hopefully) I'll be popping out chapters faster. But anyway, onto the show!**

A week into their move to Iceland, and Aria was wondering why they hadn't made the transition sooner. Sure, Rosewood had its…charm. But it was obvious to anyone with working eyes that edgy Aria didn't fit into the world of prissy girls and jock guys. There were times when she was a little baffled that Alison even chose her to be a part of her motley crew. She'd never questioned it, because like anyone, all Aria wanted was friends. But she was well aware of the fact that she sometimes stuck out like a sore thumb in their fivesome.

But in Iceland, Aria experienced something she never did in Rosewood. The people didn't see her hair and clothes as kooky here, like they did in the states. Instead, they embraced her looks. They thought she was cool. They didn't make fun of her for not being a cookie-cutter copy of everyone else. Aria had never been afraid to be herself, but it was a little difficult to do so in Rosewood, where everyone was so absorbed in high fashion brands and fitting in.

Of course, her group of friends from back home crossed her mind quite often – they'd be starting their freshman year this week. And, of course, one girl in particular crossed her mind more often than the other. Aria must've read Spencer's letter 50 times since it found its way into her pocket. And every time she read it, she felt the same mix of emotions. Spencer's glowing words gave her an indescribable case of stomach butterflies. But some parts of the letter stuck out to Aria more than others.

_"It's something I've wanted to do for a long time."_

_"I really love you, and I hate that it took me so long to tell you."_

So apparently, Spencer's feelings towards her weren't new. And in a way, Aria _did _wish that her friend would have confessed those feelings sooner. But she could understand why Spencer would have been afraid.

But…what if Spencer _had_ been honest about what she felt for Aria sooner? What would Aria have done with that information? Would she even have been ready to hear it? As far as she knew, she was strictly into guys, and she thought the same went for Spencer. But maybe Ali was right. Maybe everyone does have secrets, and that's Spencer's. If it was, Aria could definitely understand why Spencer would want to keep it hidden, with how her parents felt about gay people.

As Aria thought about Spencer's potential secret, she found herself considering her own sexuality, as well. Of course, she thought Spencer was gorgeous. But was that a friendly gorgeous, or an I-wanna-date-you gorgeous?

Wow. That was an interesting thought. Dating Spencer. It's a thought that brings the tiniest of smiles to her face that she tries to deny, even to herself. What would Hanna and Emily think? Would they even be surprised, or have they been in on the secret all along?

Aria closed her eyes, forcing the thoughts out of her head. They were irrelevant. She was a thousand miles away now. Even if she did feel the same way (which she was still trying desperately to assure herself she didn't), there wasn't anything she could do about it. She said goodbye to Rosewood, and all of the people who lived there. It was time to say hello to Iceland. It was time to explore her new home.

So she grabbed her purse (complete with map of Iceland…and a bottle of pepper spray) and headed for the door.

"Going out. I'll be back before dinner." She called to her parents, who were sharing a glass of wine on the couch they'd just purchased.

Ella looked back towards her daughter as she reached the front door. "Stay safe, okay? And text us while you're okay. Let us know you're okay."

Aria nodded at her mom's instructions, giving her and her dad a smile as she exited the house, glad that they seemed to be getting along a little better now that everyone was settled in the new living space.

With her hands shoved in her coat pockets, Aria headed down the street, finding it strange that so many people walked to places around here, instead of driving vehicles, like they did back home. But with Iceland being as beautiful as it was, it would almost be a crime not to experience it on foot.

She left the residential part of town, and headed outward for more commercial surroundings. Once she got there, she started to see more people. Her eyes met a few of theirs, giving them soft smiles in greeting as she passed them by; another small thing that wouldn't happen in Rosewood.

Her eyes moved along the various shop windows, making an attempt to decide which ones she wanted to go into. She settled on a hole-in-the-wall boutique, and she had to keep herself from buying everything in the store. Instead, she left with a scarf and some bangles before exiting and resuming her expedition.

Aria finally put the map in her purse to good use, heading west towards more businesses. As her vision skimmed the map, the sound of booming music filled her ears. She curiously looked up, trying to locate where the music was coming from. She followed the bass to a smallish, two-story building. She could only pray that her knowledge of Icelandic language would not fail her as she read the sign above the building, guessing that the name of it was Café Amsterdam. She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth, praying again that she'd brought her fake ID from back in the states. Pulling out her wallet, she let out a sigh of relief, finding the card that falsely stated she was 21 years of age; the memory of the frat party in which she'd last used it coming back to her momentarily.

A final prayer was thought as she approached the door, and the bouncer that stood in front of it, hoping that he wasn't as stupid as the bouncer at the frat party. With her petite frame, it was hard for anyone to think that Aria wasn't actually a teenager. But as she got to the front of the queue and handed him the card with her most mature looking face, he barely gave it a glance, and Aria couldn't have been more grateful.

After giving him a polite smile that he didn't return, she entered the club, her eyes lighting up as they moved towards the stage where a live band played. She headed for a table, thankfully finding an empty one in the crowded pub, smiling softly as her eyes locked on the guitarist of the band. Whoa. One more thing they didn't have in Rosewood: Guys that looked like him.

She sat down, shoulders moving to the beat of the song. It took a few minutes, but a waitress finally made her way to Aria's table asking for her drink order. Crap. What do older, sophisticated people usually drink?

"Uh…I'll have a…vodka." She said in an attempt at being convincing. The waitress turned and walked away without a word, so she wasn't entirely sure if she was successful or not.

Once the other woman was gone, Aria was allowed to turn her attention back to the band, and mostly, its guitarist, who seemed to be looking back at her. When their eyes met, he smiled and looked away, which obviously, made Aria's heart flutter.

Once their set ended, Aria was already onto her second vodka when she nonchalantly followed him with her eyes towards the back where the bar was. Huh. What a coincidence. She needed to get up and get another drink, as well.

She flagged the bartender down, ordering yet another vodka, which Mr. Guitar Boy seemed to find comical, as he let out a quiet chuckle.

Aria quirked an eyebrow, smiling curiously. "Something funny?" She asked.

He shook his head, "No. Just…not used to hearing people order that. But from your accent I'm going to guess you're not from around here."

"I'm not." She answered, shaking her head with a small twinge of sheepishness.

"America?"

"I am." She laughed, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. "Well, what _do _people usually drink around here?"

He turned towards the bartender and held up two fingers before saying something Icelandic that Aria couldn't quite catch because she was too busy paying attention to how he said it in his beautiful accent. Either way, he returned with two glasses of a darker liquid, passing one off to her.

She glanced down at the glass cautiously before looking back up at him, eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm sorry but – shouldn't we…maybe exchange names before I take a mystery drink from you?"

With a chuckle, he took a sip from his glass. "My name's Ruben, and that 'mystery drink' is called Brennivin. It's kind of…the unofficial drink of the country." He explained.

That seemed to be enough for Aria, who took a sip of her own drink. And then another. And then one more.

Ruben looked at her expectantly, a curious smile spreading across his face, "Do I get to know your name, too?"

She gave him an apologetic smile before setting her almost empty glass down. "I'm Aria and…holy crap this – what's it called? Brennivin? Anyway, it's amazing."

He chuckled again, and she really wished he would stop doing that. She was beginning to like it too much. "I'm glad you like it." He answered. After a second, he asked, "So, how long have you been in Reykjavik?"

She had to think for a second. "About a week?" She answered before shrugging and moving her empty glass away – she needed to take a break before drinking too much and making a fool of herself. "My dad…took a teaching job here, and my family kind of needed the change of scenery."

Her answer made his eyes narrow, "You're 21 and you still live with your family?" He asked curiously.

She opened her mouth to speak before realizing that she had nothing to say and that she'd been caught in a lie. Instead, she chuckled quietly, a slightly nervous look on her face.

He shook his head, smiling softly. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna snitch. It'd kind of make me a…hypocrite. I'm only 18." He admitted.

His revelation obviously put Aria at ease as she nodded, "Guess we're both a couple of badasses." She laughed, which was joined with a laugh of his own as he nodded.

"Guess we are." He answered. He looked at her for a second before looking away. "Shall we have another round?"

"I think I've had my fill for the night." She answered, giggling before glancing behind her, a smile slowly spreading on her lips, "I love this song." She confessed, looking back at Ruben, who was already holding his hand out to her.

"Then it should be danced to."

And with that, she put her hand and his, and allowed him to lead her towards the dance floor. But their dancing didn't stop with that one song, nor the song after it. They found themselves dancing for quite a while. And once the tempo of the songs started to slow down, the pair got closer; his hands on her waist, her arms wrapping around his neck perfectly.

Her eyes slowly trailed up to look at him, who was already looking down at her with that smile of his. She had to look away, that batch of stomach butterflies making a comeback.

She didn't want to get her hopes up about Ruben too quickly, but it was nice to hang out with someone who got to know her as Aria, and not as "friend of the girl who went missing". She had her identity back, and it felt amazing.

Also, with Ruben, she was also able to occupy her mind on someone who wasn't Spencer for a little while…to an extent. Aria didn't think she'd ever be able to forget her, and what they did the night before she left. There were still times that she could feel Spencer's lips on her own. She was the last person who had touched her lips, and maybe that was why Aria pulled away when Ruben tried to kiss her once the night ended.

She gave the back of her neck an awkward scratch, looking down with a hint of shame. "I'm…sorry. I mean…I want to." She admitted, "It's just…." She sighed, "There's someone back home and…I'm – I'm trying to figure things out, I guess."

When she looked back up, she expected to see a frustrated or angry Ruben. But instead, all she saw was a look of understanding as he nodded his head. "I get it. You don't have to explain." He smiled, leaning his lips towards her ear, causing a shiver to run down her spine. "But you should know there's about 5,000 kilometers between you and this person. Maybe it's time to move on?"

He pulled away and slid a pen out of the pocket of his jeans. Turning away, he began to scribble something down on a cocktail napkin. When he handed it to Aria, she saw that he'd given her his phone number. "Use this sometime. I had fun tonight, and…I'd like to do that again." He said before giving her a small wave and walking back inside the bar to join the band he had abandoned in order to be with her.

She smiled softly, giving him a nod in farewell before looking back down at the napkin in her hand. She'd definitely use it – it's not like she had anyone else to hang out with in this town. But his parting words stuck with her on her train ride home.

As much as Aria disliked it, Spencer was living a continent away. And as much as she wished she could get in a car or a train and see her, she couldn't. She knew she had to move on from Spencer, but she also couldn't do that either. She still kept that letter in her purse, and when she went to bed, it found its usual place under her pillow. She knew she needed to throw away her attachment to the letter, but why couldn't she? Even the thought of the piece of paper being discarded left a sour taste in Aria's mouth. She clung to the letter like it was a security blanket, but what was it protecting her from?

When she returned home, and after getting chastised by her parents for not answering their calls and texts, Aria returned to her room, and the letter was pulled out of her bag, and the phone number on the napkin was basically ignored. Giving the letter a read before going to sleep had pretty much become a nightly ritual for Aria. But tonight, instead of crawling into bed, she sat at her desk, opening up her laptop. Her eyes moved towards the digital clock in the corner of the screen. They were four hours ahead of Rosewood, so Spencer would probably just be getting to sleep right about now.

Her tongue brushed past her bottom lip, fingers tapping lightly against the keys on her keyboard. Then out of nowhere, she opened her web browser and logged onto her email account. She had this urge to speak to Spencer; to contact her in some way.

_Spencer, _

Even typing out her name made Aria's heart beat just a little bit quicker. She stared at the seven-lettered moniker for a minute, nails drumming against the keyboard as her mind tried to construct a quick note. She had so much she wanted to say, and she sat there for a half hour trying to figure out how to say it.

_It's about 4 in the morning here in Reykjavik, and I'm not even sure if you want to hear from me, but I had to give your letter a response. I've read it so many times since you gave it to me, I almost have it memorized, and I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. I'm not doing such a great job of keeping in touch with you guys, am I? I hope you're all doing well in Rosewood. Is High School as amazing as Ali always told us it would be? Anyway, catching up isn't the only reason I'm typing up this email, obviously. I need to tell you about where that kiss left me. It left me confused, mostly. Of course, I've always liked you. We wouldn't be friends, if I didn't. But I never realized how much I liked you. Your kiss definitely came out of left field but I felt something. I felt some kind of weird electricity, and ever since it happened, I've wanted to feel it again, and I'm afraid that I never will. I miss you a lot, but I'm trying to move on, and I hope you are, too. I'm still not sure of my feelings about you, but I'm almost positive they're more than platonic, and I hate that I can't do anything about that now, and I hate that I'd be too afraid to do anything even if I could. Anyway, it's getting late and I'm probably getting too honest, so I should probably end this letter. I hope to hear from you soon. _

_-A_

She let out a quiet sigh of mild frustration before clicking out of the web browser window. That half hour of thinking brought her to the realization that as much as Aria had to move on from Spencer, she had to let Spencer move on, too. Writing her an email, and trying to contact Spencer, would only keep both of them in a situation that was hindered by distance. So after she closed her laptop, she dragged her tired body and mind towards her bed, putting Spencer's letter subconsciously in its usual resting spot.

**UGH SHE DIDN'T SEND THE EMAIL! I struggled with that a bit. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Sorry it took me so long to get out, but like I said, this week is kind of kicking my ass with finals and such. But it's my last week, so hopefully after this one, we'll see quicker updates. Spencer meets up with Andrew in the next chapter, and we're getting pretty close to the Sparia reunion so PLEASE stay tuned for that. Once again, thank you guys so much for your follows and reviews. I appreciate them so much, and they really keep me writing. Until next time, readers! **


	4. Chapter 4

**I'M FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Another semester in the history books, and now it's time for summer. (Almost. My summer officially begins tomorrow) And I've decided to reward my long semester of writing with…more writing! But this kind of writing is obviously more enjoyable. But yeah! Anyway, we're back in Rosewood with Spencer for this chapter, and her study date with Andrew. **

**Also shout out to trueprime for their awesome comments and input! (Man, Ruben as a female would have been awesome! Kicking myself a little bit at the moment haha)**

**Anyway, onto the show!**

Was it opposite day? Nope. Spencer was indeed meeting up with Andrew Campbell to study. She would not call it a study date. It was simply two people getting together to go over a reading assignment; nothing more, nothing less.

She honestly couldn't think of a good reason as to why she agreed to meet him at the library. Well, she knew she needed the socialization. Her friend count had went from four to zero in a matter of a month and a half. But surely she could find better company than her rival since kindergarten, right?

No, if Spencer was really being honest with herself, she'd admit that the real reason for saying yes to Andrew was that he was a _boy. _And right now, Spencer was working incredibly hard to prove to herself that she was her parent's definition of normal, even if it meant blocking all female contact completely.

Of course, it didn't keep her eyes from admiring other girls. It was something she tried hard to keep under control, but she'd caught her gaze lingering on them more times than she'd like to admit.

However, no matter how many girls she found attractive, none of them compared to Aria. And she hadn't left Spencer's mind much since her departure from Rosewood, despite many attempts to force her out. As days went by, Spencer secretly hoped for some sort of correspondence from Iceland – whether it be in the form of an e-mail or a handwritten letter of her own. But as days went by, and she received nothing from Aria, Spencer had to deal with the realization that she didn't feel the same way.

There were a few times where Spencer found herself sitting in front of her laptop, ready to send an email Aria's way. But every time she talked herself out of it. Maybe Aria's silence was for the best for both parties involved. Spencer had to allow not only Aria, but also herself, to move on, and deal with the fact that things would never happen like she wanted them to.

It was apparent that Spencer obviously wasn't in the best of moods, but she was trying to fix that. She started her day with tons of coffee, like she always did. And it helped, like it always did. Around noon, she got a text from Andrew confirming that they were still on for later in the afternoon. And that little glimmer of hope made a brief reappearance before it crashed when it wasn't Aria trying to contact her.

The time leading up to the meeting was spent preparing for it; rereading and highlighting important parts of the novel. When she had the book practically memorized, she went to get ready to go. She was putting on makeup when she asked herself why she was doing that – for Andrew, of all people. She quickly shook her head, shoving the makeup back into her bag as she threw her long brown hair into a messy ponytail and put on an oversized sweater. After that, all she had to do was gather her things in her bag, get in her car and go.

The drive to the library was short, and when she got there, she spotted Andrew, already sitting in at a table towards the back, looking like an eager little puppy. His eyes met hers a second later and he gave her a little wave.

Spencer waved back uncomfortably as she headed towards the table, sitting across from him as she tossed her bag carelessly on the table top.

"Have trouble finding the place?" He asked in an attempt at a joke, complete with a cheesy chuckle.

As she was pulling the book and her notes out of her bag, she paused, looking up at him.

He shrugged innocently, his turn to look uncomfortable. "Because…you were…a few minutes late." He struggled before clearing his throat. "Ehh…anyway. _To Kill a Mockingbird. _Thankfully, no birds were harmed in the making of this book, am I right?" He said, a second attempt at a joke.

Spencer let out a little sigh, closing her book as she began to put it back in her bag. "Maybe this was a bad idea." She said quietly.

Andrew stood up slightly, putting his hand out. "No!" He said quickly, before realizing how desperate he sounded. He corrected himself, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm…sorry about the stupid jokes. They're like…a defense mechanism. I use 'em when I'm nervous."

She sat back down, eyes inspecting him with a subtle carefulness. "Wh-Why are you nervous?" She asked.

"I…I'm actually not quite sure." He confessed with a shrug. "People like us don't get nervous. We're supposed to feed off the intimidation of others, right?"

That actually made her chuckle. It was a quiet chuckle, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips as she slowly pulled her book back out of her bag. Alright. Maybe he could have another shot.

"I actually contemplated calling the meeting off. I dunno. Another thing we don't do often: Quit."

"I almost decided not to show up." Spencer finally spoke, "But I needed to go outside. I open my curtains this morning and almost blinded myself." She smirked, allowing herself to be the one telling a joke for once.

Andrew smiled back in response, "Well, I'm glad you _did _come." After that, he didn't say anything for a moment; the look on his face showed that he was obviously hesitating with something. Finally, he asked, "So, uh…h-how have you been dealing with what happened to Alison?"

She had been avoiding the subject for so long. She couldn't even talk about it with the other girls without it ending in an argument. But she needed to talk about it, and she knew holding in was only going to make her feel worse.

"Well…I'm surviving, I guess." She chuckled nervously. "It's just…it's weird, you know? Alison was kind of horrible to us. She was horrible to _everybody. _There are times when I wondered why I was even friends with her. So…why am I so sad she's gone? Why can't I get over it?" She looked down, shaking her head, "Nothing makes sense right now." That was the understatement of the century- and she wasn't even just talking about the Ali situation. But she definitely couldn't talk to Andrew about that.

His eyes flittered around Spencer's face before he nodded, "I-I get it. When my dad passed away, I didn't leave my room for about a month. I just sat in bed and played Pokemon all day." He laughed.

"She's not dead, she's just missing." She quickly corrected him before pausing and closing her eyes. She was obviously frustrated with herself for snapping at him, and the sigh that passed her lips proved that. "I-I'm sorry. I think that's what I'm so confused about. I was with her the night she disappeared. We all were. She was in danger, and instead of helping her, we were all asleep." She looked back up at him, lips pursed somberly, "But I'm really sorry to hear about your dad." She shrugged a bit, "I didn't know."

"It's not something I like talking about. Happened during the summer before fifth grade." He responded.

Spencer shrunk a little, shaking a strand of hair out of her face, "That's the year I beat you in the spelling bee."

"And now you know why."

Her eyes trailed down, fingernails tapping against the table. "This conversation got depressing really quick, didn't?"

Andrew nodded in agreement. "You know how to fix that, right? With a tale about rape, racism and class warfare." A slow smile came to his face as he held up his copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird._

Spencer stared at him for a second before rolling her eyes and laughing. "You really are a nerd, Campbell." She said as she sat back up in her seat and opened her copy as well.

The duo spent the next two hours discussing and going over the book. Spencer survived, and even worse, found herself having a good time with Andrew. She realized that he was a person, just like she was, with overbearing parents who pushed him to perfection. She didn't realize she could have so much in common with a rival. She never thought she could see him as a friend.

She checked the clock on her phone, and realized that it was actually an hour later than she had expected to stay out. She began packing her stuff away as Andrew watched.

"Gotta go hang out with the posse?" He asked.

Standing up, she threw her bag strap over her shoulder, "Yeah…different posse than you're thinking. I've got dinner with the family." She laughed, "I don't see the girls too much anymore. I guess…I dunno…I guess it's just not the same without Ali around. We've kinda went our separate ways." She said with a shrug.

"I heard Aria moved to Europe." He stated tentatively, as if he was afraid of stepping on a landmine. He didn't know how much he actually was, but Spencer played it cool.

She nodded, "Yeah. But not because of Alison. Well…it's probably a good thing that she did but her dad accepted a teaching job there."

"Is she coming back?" He asked.

"Not anytime soon." She answered, hoping the misery in her tone was well hidden.

They stood there silently, and for a second, Spencer felt like Andrew knew something. But how could he know? She was only making herself paranoid.

Finally, he let out a deep breath and put his bag on his back, also. "Well. I should probably get home, too." He took a step away before turning back towards Spencer. "You know, this wasn't completely terrible. We could do it again sometime." He suggested. When he continued to talk, she noticed his voice was smaller. "Maybe…without the studying."

Spencer blinked, her brain working quickly to come up with a response. Finally, she nodded, "Right. Yeah. This…This was okay." She agreed, "I guess I'll see you at school."

She could tell from the look on his face that she hadn't given him the response he was hoping for. But she didn't say no. He should at least be happy for that. He nodded quickly anyway, "Yeah. If-If I don't see you, enjoy the rest of your summer. All…three days of it." He chuckled.

She smiled back before following him out of the library. They waved goodbye to each other before Spencer watched Andrew walk back towards his bike. She was pulling her car keys out when she heard footsteps approaching, followed by a familiar voice.

"Hey, Spence."

When she looked up, she saw a slightly different version of Hanna. She looked less hefty, more glamorous. At least Ali's absence was helping _somebody. _"Hanna! Hey." She said in an attempt at cheerfulness.

Hanna looked away towards the direction of where Andrew went. "You and Andrew Campbell?" She grinned playfully, "I thought you two hated each other."

Spencer smiled nervously before motioning for Hanna to follow her to her car. Once they were walking, she began to talk. "We didn't hate each other, we were just always competing." Then, almost as if she could read Hanna's mind, she added, "Don't get any ideas, we're just putting our brain power together for once."

Hanna gave Spencer a knowing look, "Well, he's definitely cute for a brainiac." She commented. After Spencer didn't respond, she figured it was time for a subject change. "So, um…How've you been holding up?" She asked.

Spencer glanced towards her blonde friend before quickly looking away, "I've been asked that about a hundred times since Ali left and…I'm not so sure I know the answer anymore. This is my first time being outside in a week so…I'll let you take that as you will." After a second, Spencer found her eyes trailing back towards Hanna. Crap. She wasn't attracted to her too, was she? "You look good, though." She commented, almost certain that it was a platonic compliment.

A bright smile came to Hanna's face, almost as if she were glad someone had noticed her improvements. "Thanks. Mona and I started hanging out." She must have noticed the surprise on Spencer's face, because she continued, "I guess we're all hanging out with surprising new people. What, are we gonna see Emily with Jenna soon?" She asked in a joke. But the subject of Jenna Marshall was still a sore one, and Hanna must have realized that as soon as the words left her mouth. "But…that would never happen. Jenna's still in Philly."

"Right. You and Mona, though. That's…definitely interesting." She said, laughing uneasily.

Hanna smirked slightly, "It's weird, I know. But Mona's actually not terrible once you get to know her. We're trying to improve ourselves together. We're pretty happy with the results so far."

When they reached Spencer's car, they turned towards each other. Spencer's eyes moved everywhere, landing on anything but Hanna. "Have you heard from Aria since she left?" She asked, finally looking at her old friend.

Hanna shook her head, sighing deeply. "Nah. I wasn't expecting to, either. I had a feeling she'd move to Iceland and forget all about us."

Hanna's words left a weird pain in Spencer's heart but she pretended as if they had no effect on her. "I thought maybe we'd hear from her at least once but…I guess she's having a better time in Europe than we thought." She was starting to sound like Eeyore. She needed to stop that.

The blonde gave Spencer a soft smile. "I know you two were close."

Spencer's eyes darted back towards Hanna, trying not to let them widen in fear. Was she obvious? Had Hanna seen them kiss that night?

"That's how it always was. Emily and I were close, you and Aria were close. And Alison was the one holding the strings." She let out a somber sigh, "And now she's gone. Those strings have been cut and we've all ran away." She looked away before turning back towards Spencer, "I miss you guys."

Spencer smiled sadly, a little relieved by Hanna's words. "I miss you guys, too. It's just…different now. It's not the same and it sucks."

Hanna nodded, "Yeah, I know. I guess this is for the best, then. We were all…kind of mismatched anyway."

Spencer didn't agree. She thought the fact that they were all so different was what made the friendship work. They all owed Ali for that. But she nodded as if she did agree. "Right. Guess it couldn't last forever."

They both heard Mona calling Hanna's name from a distance and looked towards the direction of her voice. She'd ditched the glasses and pigtails. Looks like her journey to self-discovery was looking up so far, as well.

Hanna turned back towards Spencer, "It was good talking to you."

Spencer smiled, nodding again, "Yeah, you too. And…that offer to help with your homework still stands." Her smile grew slightly.

"Good. That might come in handy in three days." Hanna giggled before giving Spencer a half-hearted hug. "I guess I'll see you around then." She said before turning and heading towards Mona.

She saw the two of them together and it felt weird. Alison had tormented Mona so much while she was around, Spencer thought Mona hated her minions for it, too. Guess all was forgotten, with Hanna, at least.

She let out a heavy sigh as she got into her car and drove back towards home. Today wasn't a total loss. She surprisingly had a better time with Andrew than she thought she would, and seeing Hanna again was nice. She was glad to see her doing so well. Maybe she could get over this Aria thing. She knew she'd never forget her old friend, but at least the pain of her being so far away would dull after some time. She'd be okay.

**Thank you guys so much for sticking around for another installment of my silly little fan fiction. Hope you enjoyed the Spanna (Another PLL ship I'd love to explore in another story sometime). I enjoyed writing it, along with the Spandrew, more than I expected to. We'll be seeing more of them later on. Next chapter will find trouble in paradise for the Montgomerys. Oh no! But until then, take care! Love you all and all of the support you give Electricity. As always, it keeps me going 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello hello there! Welcome to chapter five of Electricity. Not much to say this time around. So glad everyone's still enjoying the story. Oh! As of chapter 4 being published this little story of mine has reached 800+ views! I know that might not be a big number to some of you, but for me, that means everything, and I really can't wait to see this story grow and…yeah! So much love for each and every one of you guys. Anyway, I'm over my mushiness. Let's get back to Iceland, where things aren't too great with the Montgomery clan. And just so we're clear, a time skip has occurred, and they've been living in Iceland for a few months 3**

It was Saturday. Or maybe it was Tuesday? Aria couldn't remember. But she was smack dab in the middle of her spring break from school, which meant she was up to no good. It was very clear, mostly to her family, that Aria wasn't Aria anymore. Sure, she was still herself on the outside with the pink streak in her hair and her quirky wardrobe, that was actually considered cutting edge here in Iceland. But this Aria no longer spent her weekends indoors, reading old books and knitting bras for herself. No, her new activities weren't as innocent.

During the first few weeks of being in Iceland, she was getting accustomed to living in a new country and continent. But as soon as she found her footing (and met an attractive local named Ruben), new Aria came shining through. She had grown tired of holing herself up in her room, or following orders from some fearless leader. Aria Montgomery was her own person now, and she liked it that way. Of course, her parents weren't necessarily on board with "New Aria", but "New Aria" wasn't necessarily concerned with that. Back in Rosewood, Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery had spent so much time bickering and arguing amongst themselves, that they didn't have much time to really pay too much attention to their children, so why should she pay any regard to their thoughts and feelings, in return?

Aria's new hangout was the very one that she met Ruben at that fateful night. She'd met the rest of his band, and the groupies that followed them around unconditionally. She went to the parties, she drank their alcohol. Thankfully, she'd been able to say no to the more…deplorable items. She wouldn't let Europe change her _that _much, or let it take _that _much of her decency away. No, she and Ruben spent most of their nights with the group; getting drunk, making out, touching each other occasionally. It was fun that Aria never quite remembered the next morning, but it was still fun. And no longer was she the kooky, weird girl that she was in Rosewood. She'd spent so much time there trying to convince herself and everyone else that she didn't care about fitting in. But now that she did, she had to admit, that it felt pretty damn good. She liked her life in Iceland. She'd been able to forget almost all about Rosewood, and what had happened. But, of course, she didn't ever think she'd be able to clear its residents out of her mind.

If Aria was being completely honest with herself, she knew that her new-found identity wasn't the only reason for her new-found behavior. As much as she hated to admit it, the months she'd been away from Rosewood had done nothing to help her get over Spencer. She still missed her friend, and it scared her that she'd always will. Of course, the alcohol and Ruben worked temporarily to occupy her attention and memory. But every morning, she'd wake up, and her hand would move towards the letter that she pathetically continued to keep under her pillow, and that beautiful brainiac would reemerge in her mind, and the vicious cycle would begin again.

Only today, Aria's parents decided to put a fork in their daughter's new daily routine. When she headed out of her bedroom at the crack of afternoon, they were both waiting for her on the sofa; the looks on their faces an odd mix of disappointment and somberness.

This makes Aria stop dead in her tracks at the end of the staircase. "What's…going on?" She asked slowly, her voice slightly groggy.

Ella and Bryon look towards each other tentatively before looking back at Aria. "We need to have a talk." Her mother finally said.

_Crap. _She knew this day would come eventually, but Aria's still not ready for it. She blinks, shaking her head briefly, "Can I at least get a cup of coffee first?" She asks, and without even waiting for an answer, starts heading for the kitchen.

Ella slowly nods her head, "Uh, sure…" She answers as she watches her daughter leave. She looks back towards Byron, a look of annoyance on her face. "You gonna let me do all the talking?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"We haven't even started talking!" He snaps back quietly, "What's there to say?"

From the kitchen, Aria rolls her eyes, letting a frustrated puff of air pass her lips. "There's really no need for the whispering. I can hear you all the way from here." She calls back towards the living room.

The parents look at each other, dealing with their own brief embarrassment before they both get up and follow Aria, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "How about a cup for me?" Ella asks.

"Make that three. Thanks." Byron adds.

As she was asked, Aria brings three mugs to the kitchen table, pouring the hot caffeine into each before letting her mom and dad take a mug for themselves. She's done about as much procrastinating as she can without making a run for it. She was too hungover for that. She takes a seat across from her parents at the table, looking at them both expectantly. "So? What's up?" She asks, taking a sip of her coffee.

From the looks on their faces, it's obvious they have no idea where to begin or what to say to Aria. So she decides to start things off for them. She closes her eyes, scratching her forehead. "Let me guess. You think I'm…out of control and this is some sort of intervention. Am I right? Am I somewhere in the ballpark?" Her eyes finally opened, locking on her mom and dad blankly.

Ella looks down at her hands that are wrapped around her coffee cup before shrugging her shoulders nervously. "Can you blame us, Aria?" She asks in a small voice. "You come home at 5 or 6 in the morning. You're…You're obviously not sober when you _do _come home." She looks back up, eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Aria. "What's going on?"

She leans back in her chair, a mirthless smile coming to her face. "What's going on is a little thing called spring break. They had them back in the states, too."

"Yeah, but your spring breaks never involved underage drinking." Byron counters, trying not to raise his voice.

Ella gently puts her hand on her husband's shoulder in an attempt to keep him calm. "We're just…something's obviously changed in you. We're just trying to figure out what it is."

This elicits a sarcastic laugh from Aria. "Yeah. That 'change' is a transfer to a new continent." She replies, rolling her eyes with a shake of her head.

This time, it was Ella's turn to let out a frustrated sigh. "Oh, so us moving to Europe gives you an excuse to give us such a rotten attitude?" She asks, obviously struggling to maintain coolness herself.

There's an apologetic look on Aria's face, albeit a brief one. Ella continues to talk. "Is that what this is, Aria? Are you…upset that we left Rosewood? You seemed so excited to leave! You were always telling me how you felt like such an outsider there. I thought you liked it here." By the end of her speech, Ella's voice almost sounded defeated.

Aria pursed her lips, looking away with a sigh. "It's not that. I love it here, obviously. Like you said, I didn't fit in in Rosewood; here I do. I mean…I know my friends here aren't the best influences but at least I don't spend every night in my room reading. And at least I'm not afraid of them."

Byron shook his head, "Well, _we're _afraid of your new friends. We don't like what you do with them." He pauses, and after a second, he looks at his daughter closely. "Is this about Alison?"

Ella closes her eyes, the topic of Aria's old friend was obviously still sore for her for a reason her daughter didn't know.

Even Aria's surprised by the mention of Ali. Astoundingly, she had been one of the people who had been easy to forget upon moving to Iceland. Finally, she shakes her head, brows scrunching together. "No." She answers simply. "It's not about Ali. Not everything's about Ali."

Byron seems confusingly relieved by Aria's answer. After a second, he struggles, but finally speaks up. "Maybe coming here was a mistake. It seemed like a good idea at the time but…I dunno." He looks to his wife, who clearly needs some further convincing, from the look on her face. "It's been long enough. I'm sure the whole…Alison thing had blown over by now. We can get our house back and…m-maybe things can go back to normal."

Aria tries her best to keep the shock off her face as she looks back and forth between her parents. She's definitely conflicted by what her dad has to say. She wasn't lying when she said she loved it here. Reykjavik and Rosewood might as well be on two separate planets. Parties with Ruben weren't the only thing that was alluring about Iceland. She loved the art and scenery this country had to offer.

However, in the back of her mind, Aria was already imagining what it would be like to return to Rosewood, and of course, to Spencer. It was something she never thought would happen – she genuinely thought that they were in Iceland to stay. Maybe they still were. Maybe her mom with nix the idea. But Aria couldn't help but kind of want to go back home. Sure, she loved Europe, but there was a small part of her brain that needed to know what would happen if she ever saw Spencer face to face again. Even if it ended badly, and as much as she hated the idea of that occurring, she wanted the closure that an email simply wouldn't bring. She looked towards her mother who, much to Aria's surprise, looked as if she was considering her husband's suggestion.

Ella waited a while before she finally offered her thoughts. "I'm not going to lie. I envisioned our lives here being much different. I envisioned them being better but…that isn't the case." She said, that defeat returning to her the tone of her voice.

Byron looked off distantly, scratching at the light stubble on his chin. "Everything started happening with Alison and…it just felt like this teaching job couldn't have come at a better time."

His comment intrigues Aria a bit. This teaching job also came not long after she and Ali had caught him in the back of his Subaru with one of his students. He'd begged Aria not to say anything about it, but he wondered if Alison and student skank would be as easily convinced to keep their mouths shut. Well, Alison obviously wasn't a threat anymore. But it made her wonder if he was as eager to get back home to his homewrecker, as she was to get home to Spencer.

A sad smile came to Ella's face as she looked back towards Byron, her voice pulling Aria out of her thoughts. "Maybe Iceland just isn't ready for the Montgomeries. I wish it could have worked here but…as weird as it sounds, Rosewood is our home."

Aria's heart started to flutter as she tried, and probably failed, to keep a neutral expression on her features. Leaning forward, her eyes quickly moved from her mom to her dad. "So…t-that's it? We're just…going back to Rosewood?" She asked, hoping that she'd left any hopefulness from her voice.

Byron shrugged, looking at Ella. "Well, it'd be silly of us to move you and your brother back with only a couple months of school left. Let's enjoy all that Europe has to offer…_together_." He said the final word with emphasis, giving Aria a pointed look that made her roll her eyes a bit. Aria looked to her mother for assistance, but Ella was obviously siding with her husband.

"Your father's right, Aria." She began, "Your partying days are over. That means waking up before noon, and actually spending time with your family."

Aria let out a little sigh, finally conceding. "Fine. Can I at least say goodbye to my friends first?"

Her parents seemed to hesitate at first, figuring it was one final attempt at drinking with them before being forced into family bonding. But after a second of silent contemplating, Ella turned towards Aria once again. "You have one hour." She answered as she stood up, "I'm going to go tell Mike the news." And with that, she headed back upstairs, knowing the youngest Montgomery would be pretty pleased to hear that they'd be returning to Rosewood. Mike had pretty much spent their entire visit to Iceland in his room, playing his Nintendo DS.

After getting ready, Aria said her goodbyes to her parents, letting them know she'd be home soon, before heading to the train station. She knew where she'd be able to find Ruben, that was, if he was even awake at this time of day. Aria knew that chances were that she wouldn't be.

But her mind wasn't really set on Ruben during the train ride to Café Amsterdam. She was thinking about Rosewood, and what she'd find there upon returning home. She was scared and excited at the same time. She'd thought about seeing Spencer again pretty much ever since she'd set foot in Europe, but she didn't think it'd ever happen again; or at least, not so soon.

A bunch of different scenarios ran through her head about coming home. Had too much time passed since she left? She only had herself to blame, if it had. She was the one who had been too afraid to contact Spencer the entire time she'd been away. But Spencer's time was probably filled to the brim with school and her millions of extracurricular activities to give Aria and her silence much thought anyway.

As Aria's thoughts about a romance with Spencer turned more negative, and she began to realize how unlikely that could ever be, she had never been more thankful for her train to make it to her stop. She shook her head, forcing the sour thoughts out of it, as she grabbed her purse and rushed herself off the train.

Thankfully, Ruben was already there, helping his band set up for the show that night. When he saw her walk through the door, a bright smile came to his face. She was probably going to miss that the most.

She gave him a little wave, and he could probably tell from her own smile that something was up. He turned away, saying something to one of his bandmates, before walking towards Aria, looking at her curiously. "Hey there." He said, kissing her on the cheek when he met her.

"Hey yourself." She replied sweetly, looking at him with uncertainty for a second, then leading him towards an empty table.

Once they were seated, Ruben asked, "So…what's up? You usually don't show up here this early."

Aria nodded, leaning away slightly, "Y-Yeah, I know. Umm…I had to talk to you."

He chuckled nervously, "That's never a good way to start a conversation."

"I know that, too." She replied, giving him a nervous chuckle of her own. Her tongue brushed over her upper lip quickly, "Listen…the past few months have been awesome. Well…what I can remember of them, anyway."

The look on Ruben's face was turning more pessimistic by the second, but he continued to listen.

"My parents…we're…they're making us go back to America." She confessed.

He didn't answer right away. He clearly didn't enjoy hearing this news, as he shrugged. "When do you leave?" He asked.

"They're letting us finish the school year here."

He smiled sadly, "But they don't want you spending any of that time with me, right?"

His guess was pretty spot-on, which made Aria look at him uncomfortably. "They're not very happy with how I've decided to spend my time here." She quickly shook her head, "But…I mean, _I've _enjoyed every minute. And that's all because of you. I'm really glad I met you, Ruben." She reached for his hand, placing hers on top of his.

He let his hand linger underneath her hand for a few seconds before pulling away with a nod and a little smile. "I'm glad I met you, too." He turned back towards the stage, where the rest of his band was getting ready to start their set. He then looked at Aria, his smile slowly getting bigger. "You can't just stay for _one _more show? You're already out and…you're kind of our biggest fan."

She smiled, bit her lip, and nodded. "Yeah." She giggled, "I mean…they're already punishing me by making me spend time with them, what else are they gonna do?"

Ruben laughed before standing up and offering his hand to Aria, which she took, allowing him to lead her towards the front of the stage. He took his place on the stage, giving Aria one last smile before the band introduced themselves and began playing their first song.

For one last night, Aria let herself get lost in the music. She danced, no matter how horrible she was at it. She sang along to the songs, even if she didn't know all the lyrics, and her voice was wildly off-key. If she was going to have to spend the next couple of months sightseeing with the parentals, she was going to live it up tonight.

Once the band finished their set, Aria joined them backstage for a farewell party of sorts. She tried her best to refrain from the alcohol that was being passed around, but the peer pressure got the best of her, and soon enough, she was swaying even without the presence of music. Her swaying brought her into the lap of Ruben, plopping down on top of him as he let out an "Oof!" and a chuckle.

"Hey you. Enjoying your last night of freedom?" He asked.

She answered with a nod, a crooked smile on her face. "You know I always have a good time with you." Her voice took on a bit of a slur.

He stared at her for a second before, glancing away. "So. How do you feel about moving back home?"

She thought about his question for a second, wondering why he was bringing it up. Maybe he was just trying to keep her from drinking anymore. But thinking about going back to Rosewood was only making her want to keep drinking. She shrugged anyway, looking away as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Oh, you know. It is what it is, I guess." She answered vaguely.

From the look on Ruben's face, it was obvious that he wasn't satisfied with her answer. "Really?" He started, shaking his head, eyebrows scrunching. "Are you sure? I mean…didn't you have any friends in America?" He seemed to hesitate for a second, looking down, "W-What about that guy?"

Aria's eyes widened, and it seemed like Ruben regretted asking the question. He laughed uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry…just forget I asked, okay?"

Aria looked at him, quickly shaking her head, "No! No, don't be sorry." She mentally wrestled with herself before letting out a deep breath. "Can I…Can I tell you something?" She asked nervously.

"Of course. You know that."

She smiled weakly, letting her eyes move down to her hands in her lap. "About that…person back home." She started, "It wasn't a guy, it was a girl."

She couldn't spare a glance towards Ruben. But if she did, she would've seen his eyebrows raise as he fought off a smile. She shook her head slightly and continued to talk.

"She's one of my best friends, or…at least she _used _to be." She gulped, "Something bad happened to one of our friends. She disappeared. It was a big news story back in the states." She finally looked up at him, smiling softly, "It's one of the things I liked about you. You didn't know who I was. I wasn't…that girl who was friends with the girl who went missing. I was Aria."

He smiled at that, but Aria sighed, looking away again.

"Anyway, I'm getting off topic. Our friend going missing was partly the reason my family moved here. We just had to get away from all of the media attention and…all of the bad memories that were in that town. Her being gone was already making the rest of us drift apart, but…we still had a party the night before I left and my friend and…she…she kissed me." The words coming out of her mouth brought the smallest of smiles to her face. "And…she confessed to me that she had liked me as more than a friend for a while." She chuckled mirthlessly, "I had no idea."

After a second of silence, Ruben finally decided to speak up. "So…are you…are you bisexual? Was I your…what do they call them? Your beard?"

Aria laughed, shaking her head, "No. I-I don't really know _what _I am. Until that night; until she kissed me…I thought that I only liked boys. But there was something in that kiss. I felt something and now…I don't know what I am. And that scares me. I haven't had to deal with how I felt about her since I got here, and I've been really thankful for that. But now that I have to go back home and deal with her, and how I feel about her…I'm kind of terrified."

He nodded slowly taking she said in. "Well…I can honestly say I've never been in your situation before, and I'm sorry you're so scared. What I would do, though, is just go back home with no expectations. She's your friend…or she used to be. So maybe start there; as just friends. And…maybe things will just happen on their own."

"So I should just act like it didn't happen?"

"No. If it comes up, and it probably will, you should be honest with how you feel about your friend. But if you're going home expecting her to be in a relationship with you…you might find yourself being disappointed."

Aria smiled softly and nodded, "You're right. Before anything else, she's my friend. And I'm gonna need that more than anything."

Ruben leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. "I'm sure whatever happens, you'll be fine." He said, in an attempt to assure her, which worked…sort of.

She looked into his eyes, smiling softly before her eyes caught a glimpse of the clock behind him. She quickly sat up, moving away from his lap. "Whoa. It's late." She laughed, eyes already searching for her purse. "I should probably get home." She said as she moved towards the door, stumbling on her way,

Ruben laughed nervously, taking a couple steps towards her. "You wouldn't mind if I rode the train home with you, right? Just to make sure you get home okay."

She turned to look back at him, nodding her head. "Yeah, sure. Of course." Once she found her purse, her hand found his, and she allowed him to lead her towards the exit of the club. She couldn't quite remember the two of them boarding the train, but soon enough, they were on it, with her head on his shoulder as she tried to remain conscious. But honestly, she just enjoyed having him with her.

Once they train arrived at her stop, they got off, and their walk back to Aria's house was pretty quiet. When they were standing outside her door, she turned towards him, her hand reaching for his once again.

Looking up at him she said, "You…have definitely made my time here amazing. And…I dunno. I'll be here for a few more months. I'm sure we'll bump into each other again."

He smiled, pulling her into a hug. "Yeah. If you can get away from your family imprisonment for a while, definitely come say hi, okay?"

Aria's arms wrapped back around him, nodding her head a bit. "Of course. You got it." She let the hug linger for a few more seconds before pulling away. As she began walking towards her front door, Aria turned to look back at him one last time with a smile. "It's been fun." She said.

"Don't be a stranger." He replied, waving goodbye before heading down the street.

She watched him for a few second before sighing and unlocking the door to her house, knowing that she probably had two pretty upset parents waiting for her inside. But she was ready. And she was ready for whatever her return to Rosewood brought for her, as well. She had to be. The Montgomeries were coming home whether she liked it or not.

**Okay this was a very long chapter. Sorry for that. Or maybe it's an apology for taking so long to post it? But yeah! Here it is! Hope you all liked it. And again, I'm sorry it took me so long. It was a busy week. Oh! And upon posting this chapter, this story now has ****1,300 ****views! Holy crap that's a lot. That number really makes me so happy ^_^ You guys reading the story makes me so happy. I'm just so happy! Okay, that's all for this edition of Electricity. Next chapter will probably be pretty long as well, considering we'll see what Spencer's been up to and Aria's return to Rosewood. We're getting to the exciting stuff guys! Can't wait! See you then :D **


End file.
